1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election

The 1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1978 to select the governor of the state of South Carolina. Richard Riley, the Democratic nominee, defeated Republican Edward Lunn Young and became the 111th governor of South Carolina.

1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election

November 7, 1978

Nominee Richard Riley Edward Lunn Young Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 384,898 236,946 Percentage 61.3% 37.7%

County results Riley:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Young:      50–60%

Governor before election James B. Edwards Republican Elected Governor Richard Riley Democratic

Democratic primary

The South Carolina Democratic Party held their primary for governor on June 13, featuring three high tier candidates. Richard Riley, a former member of the General Assembly, emerged as the winner of the runoff election over Lieutenant Governor W. Brantley Harvey Jr. on June 27.

Democratic Primary
Candidate	Votes	%
W. Brantley Harvey, Jr.	142,785	37.5
Richard Riley	125,184	32.9
William Jennings Bryan Dorn	112,793	29.6

Democratic Primary Runoff
Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Richard Riley	180,882	53.3	+20.4
W. Brantley Harvey, Jr.	158,655	46.7	+9.2

Republican primary

The South Carolina Republican Party held their primary for governor on June 13. The race between Edward Lunn Young and Raymon Finch drew little interest compared to the Democratic primary and turnout for the Republican was less than that of 1974. Young defeated Finch in a close contest and earned the right to face Riley in the general election.

Republican Primary
Candidate	Votes	%
Edward Lunn Young	12,143	51.4
Raymon Finch	11,501	48.6

General election

The general election was held on November 7, 1978 and Richard Riley was elected as the next governor of South Carolina. Turnout was higher than the previous gubernatorial election because of the increasingly competitive nature of the race between the two parties.

South Carolina Gubernatorial Election, 1978

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Richard Riley	384,898	61.33	+14.3
	Republican	Edward Lunn Young	236,946	37.74	−12.6
	Independent	Judy Reynolds	5,338	0.9	−0.7
	No party	Write-Ins	731	0.1	−1.0
Majority			147,952	23.6	+20.3
Turnout			627,913	57.2	+4.2
	Democratic gain from Republican

1978 South Carolina gubernatorial election map, by percentile by county.

  65+% won by Riley

  60%-64% won by Riley

  55%-59% won by Riley

  50%-54% won by Riley

  50%-54% won by Young

See also

• Governor of South Carolina
• List of governors of South Carolina
• South Carolina gubernatorial elections

External links

• SCIway Biography of Governor Richard Wilson Riley

Preceded by 1974

South Carolina gubernatorial elections

Succeeded by 1982